CANFIELD, Ohio (WKBN) – Anthony D’Alesio has been looking forward to this moment since his freshman year, but his letter of intent signing was a little different.
On Wednesday, with family and friends watching via Zoom, the Canfield senior made it official with a virtual signing to West Virginia University.
“I just felt at home there and everything just felt right,” says D’Alesio. “You know when you get that gut feeling that it’s the right option, so I took it and ran with it.”
D’Alesio will graduate with 123 career wins. He’s a two-time EOWL champion, and the reigning Division II state champion at 182 pounds, making him one of the top recruits this year in Morgantown.
“Well they’re going to get a very passionate kid that loves wrestling,” says D’Alesio. “I want to do great things, not for me, but for my family. That’s the biggest part. That’s what’s going to take me places because I have the motivation. Like, in wrestling we have a sign in our Canfield wrestling room that says ‘You get what you earn’ and that’s what I’ve always looked at since I was a young kid. They’re proud of what they do and I want to be a part of it so bad.”
As for the Mountaineers, their expectations for D’Alesio are simple.
“Well, they want me to win a national title,” says D’Alesio. “So the very top!”